Helping Sandy pushed King to come to terms with his emotions and see his world - and the love in it - more clearly. People think he 'just' ran away, but he's the sheriff's son, so everyone is on the lookout. King knew where Sandy was hiding: in his backyard! He knew why Sandy left home, and he wasn't telling anyone. You don't want anyone to think you're gay, too, do you? Black people aren't allowed to be gay. If they were still friends, King might talk to him, but they aren't. On one of those afternoons, Sandy Sanders, the sheriff's son, sees King crying.

Every afternoon, King goes to the bayou to spot his brother among the dragonflies that gather there. That is how Kingston 'King' James knew that his brother was still here.

Diverse Easy Reader | Illustrated ChapterĪt his brother Khalid's funeral, a dragonfly flew into the church and landed on the casket.

The Thing About Jellyfish meets The Stars Beneath Our Feet in this story about loss, grief, and finding the courage to discover one’s identity, from the author of Hurricane Child. As King’s friendship with Sandy is reignited, he’s forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother’s death. You don’t want anyone to think you’re gay too, do you? But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay. It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy’s grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.FOUR STARRED REVIEWS!BooklistSchool Library JournalPublishers WeeklyThe Horn Book Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly.

King and dragonflies